The news shook us like a thunderclap: banking-lawyer-extraordinaire H. Rodgin Cohen is being considered for a high-ranking role in the Treasury Department. A move would likely mean a departure — at least for now — from Sullivan & Cromwell, where the legendary Cohen has hung his hat ...

ItÂ’s the dirty little secret of jury selection: Attorneys often strike people from juries because of their race, ethnicity or gender despite the wee problem that such discrimination is unconstitutional. A WSJ piece today looks at the conundrum of peremptory challenges. They are designed to help law...

Associated Press In this June 11, 2008 photo, Allen Stanford, poses for photos at the Lords Cricket Ground in London. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis, file) Just as Bernie Madoff fatigue was threatening to set in, R. Allen Stanford has entered the picture. The SEC has charged the Texas financier with a...

We wish Ruth Bader Ginbsurg, who underwent surgery yesterday for pancreatic cancer, a speedy recovery. At 75, the only female supreme court justice will hopefully have many more years on the bench. Inevitably, though, thoughts have turned to possible successors. HereÂ’s a story today from the WSJÂ’s...

How much room do judges have to exercise their Free Speech rights? In Mississippi, at least, they better watch their tongues. Thursday, the state’s Supreme Court reprimanded Solomon Osborne, a recently-resigned state judge, for supposedly uttering this line: “White folks don’t praise you unless y...

ItÂ’s school-law week at Law Blog central. Yesterday, we noted how some Florida students will have a tough time dodging the pledge of allegiance. Traveling westward, we note a California state-court ruling this week that a private school can expel lesbian students. HereÂ’s an LA Times piece on the r...

Attorney Frank Pignatelli is not winning many friends these days among the criminal defense bar. Pignatelli supposedly worked undercover to help federal authorities arrest some of PignatelliÂ’s former criminal clients, who had been charged with drug offenses. HereÂ’s a story Sunday from the Akron Be...

With the economy now reminiscent of the Great Depression, we bring you some legal news straight out of Prohibition. Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, a legend of Appalachia, is headed to prison for moonshining and weapons charges. (In case you couldn’t guess, he’s the fellow in the hat in this ...

When measured by law firm implosions, 2008 has to rank as one of the worst years ever for corporate law firms. First Heller, then Thelen, and now Thacher Proffitt. Following the news yesterday that about 100 Thacherites were decamping for Sonnenschein, it was hard to figure how Thacher would survive...

Earlier this week, there was a new development in the Alex Kozinski ethics investigation. As readers surely recall, the Chief Judge of the Ninth Circuit landed in hot water this summer when it surfaced that he had posted sexually explicit images onto what he believed was a private Web address. HereÂ...